Oblivion
by sylverskyz
Summary: [OneShot] Time seemed to dangle on a string, as if it no longer mattered. They were frozen in the moment, forgetting everything about what had caused their bodies and hope to be so wounded. [TsengElena] [R&R Please?]


Yes, another 'what-happened-to-Tseng-and-Elena-in-AC' oneshot. Fair warning, this is very sappy, romantic, and all that good stuff. It's one of my desperate attempts at romance, and is simply more practise for me. One-shots are how I get practise with mywriting. Review kindly -sweatdrop-

Note: When talking about Elena, I am aware her name is never mentioned unlessit is said out loud. It's supposed to be that way, just a differant style I used. Just so nobody has to point that out to me

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Square.

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She closed her eyes tightly, shuddering in pain and from the cold around them. Her breath floated up in a soft, hot mist that danced in mid air for a moment before fading away completely. She felt herself slipping in and out of sleep, unable to stay in the bliss of slumber because of the intense pain she felt all through her body. She tried to ignore it. The dull pains, the little aches, and then the harsh stings and pure agony, it all kept her in a living nightmare of what she interpreted Hell to be. She felt a gentle arm slip around her and hold her comfortingly.

"Be strong. We'll get out of here." A smooth voice told her. Despite the comfort it served, the voice had a subtle tint of lost hope to it. She looked up at the dark-haired man sitting beside her, and found her face had been against his chest. She gave a weak nod, despite herself.

How long had they been there? Days? Weeks? Or had it been only hours of pure hell? For now they had been abandoned by their cruel captors, and sat under a massive tree, too weak to escape. She looked up at the silver glowing trunk and branches that stretched out above them. The limbs stretched into branches and twigs, like thin fingers reaching up towards the darkened sky. There were strange mid-air glints that reflected off the light of the curious trees. It gave off an almost Christmas-like feeling, but she was feeling anything but holiday joy. She buried her face in her companion's chest again, making sure not to touch the long gashes that ran over his skin and bled into his dark suit.

"Tseng…?" she said softly, not looking up at the man, but just sitting still. His heartbeat, although slow, was comforting to her.

"Yes?" His voice kept its calm, collected tone, although she knew he was probably still panicked inside. He was always calm, and kept a tight lid on his temper. Perhaps that is what kept her calm at the moment.

"Do you think they're coming back?" She asked quietly, finding herself gripping gently at his bloodstained suit while mentioning the men that had kept them there. The torture, the questions, the abuse… it was all too much for her to stand. She wanted him to just say it was over, and that the men were gone forever. She felt like a child, trying to hide from everything bad and hoping it will all disappear. Her Turk training had become secondary, now she was thinking off pure human instinct.

"Elena…" Tseng whispered gently, rubbing her back slowly. "If I said that they weren't, you know I would be lying." He tilted her chin up to look at him, and she could not help but let tears spill down her face.

"But Tseng…"

He shushed her soothingly and ran a hand over her blonde, blood splattered hair. He let her collect herself and stop herself from sobbing before it even started. She hated showing weakness, especially in front of him.

"Be strong." He said again, his voice still quiet and calming. "I still owe you dinner, so don't give up on me now." When she looked up at him again, he gave her a light smile. She knew that this time, it was not forced. She then wrapped her arms around him, and could not help but smile back.

What was it that drew her to him? She did not know if it was one single thing about him, or a million. She just felt so strongly about him. It could be his calm attitude, smooth, confident voice, or even his commitment to his job. He seemed so wise for a man his age, and so mature compared to her other co-workers. His hidden soft side showed a gentle, caring man under his cold, serious exterior. As she looked up at his face, she knew it was all there. The pain, the commitment, the maturity, and the caring. It all lay in his dark eyes, a blended mix of emotions and traits that made him the man he was.

The man she loved.

They hovered in sweet silence for a moment before Elena suddenly felt a sharp pain in her side. She straightened up and winced, bringing a hand to her side.

"Elena!" Tseng straightened up as well, and slipped up to his knees. He caught her before she fell and reassured her quietly. He knew the deep gash in her side was trying to heal, but it would be a painful process. The spasms of agony would come and go as her body tried to mend the injury. "It's okay…" he told her gently, holding her up with an arm across her back, and holding her trembling hand. He ignored the pain he felt from his own sudden movements, and focused on calming her down.

Her harsh breathing slowed, and she untensed her muscles. She watched the clouds of steam escape her mouth and fade in the cold air. Was she fading away, too? With every breath, she was convinced it was going to be her very last.

"Tseng." She said his name softly again, but before she could say anything else, she was cut off by her own wince and gasp of pain. She begged the Planet to let her live. "I'm…"

"No you're not!" Tseng said firmly, before looking away from her for a moment. She saw him stare at one of the illuminated silver trees and gripped his hand lightly. He looked back at the woman in his arms, and she could see a faint glint in his eyes as the silver light reflected off water in his eyes. "You're going to make it." He said, much quieter, to the point where she could barely hear him. "Don't you dare give up."

She felt a sharp sting in her heart that far surpassed any pain a sword, electric shock, or bullet could give her. "I'm sorry…" she said almost out of reflex reaction. She had upset him, the person nobody could ever strike sensitive emotion from. The guilt summoned more tears in her own eyes. "Some Turk I am." She said quietly between more gasps of pain. Tseng sighed lightly and gripped her hand back.

"I'm not asking you as a Turk to be strong." He let go of her hand. "I'm asking you, Elena, as the woman you are." He brought his hand to her face and she leaned her cheek into it. They were quiet for a long time, save her pained breathing. Tseng looked at the blonde for what seemed like an eternity. "It's sad, how it took a horrible situation such as this for me to realise what's really important in my life." He whispered, his quiet words melting the silence. She looked up at him with her tear-filled green eyes, trying to read his own dark, mysterious orbs. Out of the mass of emotion in them, one seemed to stand out the most. However, she could not put a name to what it was.

"Tseng?"

She felt the warmth of his breath against her face as he brought her closer to him, and relaxed. Tseng's hand slid from her cheek, and traced along her bottom jaw slowly, tilting her face up a little as it did. She held on to him, afraid to slip away from him if he were to ever let go. They hovered, faces inches from each other, their breaths mixing, blending and then floating into the air in wisps of steam. Time seemed to dangle on a string, as if it no longer mattered. They were frozen in the moment, forgetting everything about what had caused their bodies and hope to be so wounded. She dared to close her eyes, letting his warm exhales brush against her face. Every time the warm rush of air stopped, she silently hoped for it to happen one more time, just in case there was only one more breath left in him.

It was then she felt lips brush against hers, followed by the gentle pressure of a sweet, sincere kiss. Her heart skipped a beat and she immediately returned the kiss, like she had been awaiting it forever.

She felt like she had waited forever and a day.

Her pain seemed to fade away with every heartbeat, and her body seemed to slip into a warm pool of blissful numbness. The blood, the wounds, the fear, it all was so far away from them now. Dark and light hair fell over their faces in a sweet veil that blocked out the rest of the world. It was just them.

Two Turks.

Two humans.

Two lovers.

Just them, and nothing else.

"Promise me…" Tseng whispered against her lips quietly. "That you won't give up."

"I promise." Her voice was so quiet it was barely audible, but it was so perfect to Tseng's ears. The world seemed to melt back around them slowly, and pain came back, trying to weigh down their hearts with the harsh reality of their situation. However, their hearts beat stronger that before, they beat as one. She looked into his eyes, finally seeing that one emotion clearly in them. His dark orbs confessed the hidden feelings he had kept deep in his soul for so long. He wanted to tell her, but his eyes did all the talking.

The moment shattered like glass when the silence as pierced. The pieces of the bliss and oblivion scattered around them, in little shards of their moment frozen in time. Their sweet veil was broken when they turned their heads to look through the silver trees. Faces so close their foreheads touched, they held on, as if sharing their hope and strength for what was next to come. They both silently watched, wishing they could once again slip into their moment of oblivion as they heard the steady, approaching sound of footsteps.

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-sigh- Go ahead, tell me it sucked. I know it was a little cliche, dry, or whatever you want to call it. Please review, tell me if you liked it.


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